


Warning: Flammable

by Peacetoworld



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Dark Dipper Pines, Deception, Demon Deals, Gen, Lies, No Romance, No Sex, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28787172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peacetoworld/pseuds/Peacetoworld
Summary: During summer break, two events irreversibly change Dipper's life. First, he discovers magic is real. Second, he learns about the latent magic energy dwelling within him.When a strange, sentient glowing triangle offers to unlock his powers in exchange for a small piece of him, how can he refuse? It's too good to be true, right?Right.
Relationships: Bill Cipher & Dipper Pines, Dipper Pines & Mabel Pines
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20
Collections: r/Darkfics Monthly Prompt Challenge





	Warning: Flammable

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for r/DarkFics' January Writing Challenge! It was really fun to participate in something like this. I hope to see more challenges in the future.
> 
> Prompt: Fuel, Convince

His arm hurt as he was pulled, having no choice but to follow. A tearing ache spread through the ligaments that connected the limb to his shoulder. The agitated teen tried once again to yank his hand out of his twin’s iron grip but to no avail. His sister kept storming ahead, stepping over the loose, uneven stones and weaving around the red-barked pine trees that rose erratically from the forest floor, dragging him behind her unwillingly. 

He felt the frustration build and begin to fester within him. Frustration at being dragged somewhere unknown, in a dangerous forest, by his brute of a sister. Frustration at being too weak to stop it. 

It boiled to the surface, where he could no longer contain it. “ _Mabel!_ ” he seethed, “ _where_ are you taking me? Let go of me!” 

But Mabel seemed either oblivious or uncaring to his current aggravated state. A light, cheery hum vibrated off her lips. Her bright pink self-knitted sweater was covered in leafs and twigs, but she didn’t seem to mind. 

Without looking back at him, she paused her humming to give him an answer. The words blurred together, tightly packed and rushed in her excitement as she squealed, “You’re not going to believe this! You just have to see it yourself. You wouldn’t believe me otherwise. Come on, come on!” She tugged even harder on his arm. “Stop being such a whiny dork. We’re almost there.”

As he was rolling his eyes at her unhelpful response, she stopped in front of him. It caught him off guard, and with his eyes still gazing up at the pine-needled canopy above, he stumbled into her stilled back, tripped, and fell into the rooted dirt. 

“Ow!” he cried out. Mabel quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shh! Or you’ll scare it off. Look!” she insisted in a hushed tone. Her finger jutted out in a straight line in front of them. “In that clearing just up ahead.”

Dipper glared at her before turning his gaze to fix on whatever lay beyond her pointed finger. 

His eyes involuntarily widened at the unexpected sight before him, eyebrows raised to meet his hairline. He squinted, rubbed his eyes, and again surveyed the far-off silhouette in the clearing. His mouth gaped with shock and awe.

“Is that-” he started.

“A unicorn!” Mabel interrupted with glee.

Grazing on the billowing grass in the meadow ahead of them was a creature that could almost pass for a white horse, if not for the iridescent horn sprouting proudly atop its multicolored mane and too-perfect white sheen. 

“But- But…” The words trailing from his lips were once again left incomplete, only this time it was his train of thoughts that cut him off rather than his hyperactive sister. 

_But unicorns don’t exist._

Yet the evidence stood right in front of him. As the twins hid behind a large, moss-covered rock and continued to observe the beast in stealth, he could deny it less and less. This was definitely a magical creature. 

Whenever one of its pearl-stained hooves rose off the ground, a new flower bloomed in the grass. Beautiful petals of vibrant pinks, yellows, and purples danced in a trail behind the creature. 

Magic existed. It was just another fact to add to his many known tidbits about the world. The sky was blue, the Earth was round, and magic existed. 

As the summer weeks passed, the twins spent more time in the forest hunting for strange and fascinating creatures. They continued to bicker and get under each other’s skin, but neither could deny the strong bonding they’d experienced since their joint discovery of the unicorn. 

They compiled a journal together, adding a new entry each time they encountered a new magical creature, and dubbed themselves the Mystery Twins.

After an adventure-filled day like the many before it, Dipper settled into his bed in the dusty attic and waited for sleep to take him, but sleep did not come. Instead, the color drained from his bedroom, leaving a bleak scene painted only with hues of grey. The only tinge of color left emanated from himself and an ominous, glowing triangle carved into the window. It gave off a great, blinding yellow light. 

Dipper stared at it curiously. It began to morph. Four black lines grew out of it, taking the shape of thin, stick-figure-esque limbs. A comically tall black top hat floated magically above it, and a black bow tie popped into existence on the glowing triangle. Dipper watched, stunned, as a large, singular eye developed in its center. Eyelashes sprouted along the eye, and it blinked. 

Despite having no mouth, it seemed to grin at Dipper. A great feeling of unease settled over the young teen.

“Hey, kid. Nice room you’ve got here.”

Shock prevented Dipper from responding. He continued to stare, flabbergasted. 

The strange two-dimensional triangle-being seemed to stretch its stick-for-limb arms into the air for a moment before floating closer to Dipper. It snapped its fingers, and a petite chair just its size appeared underneath it, floating in the air. 

“No need to offer me a seat, I brought my own!” A harsh, trilling laugh followed. Its voice was high-pitched and warped, sounding nothing like Dipper had ever heard. It sounded amused, if a triangle with an eye could be amused. 

Dipper snapped out of his befuddlement long enough to ask a question. “What?-” though he wasn’t quite sure what to ask. “What are you?”

Its eye shifted, and it looked playfully irked at the question. “‘ _What_ am I?’ Manners, Pine Tree!” A tsking noise came from the geometric figure. “I think you mean ‘ _who_ am I.’ And the name’s Bill. Bill Cipher! Of course, I already know who _you_ are, Dipper.” 

The teenager didn’t like a lot of things about this strange being. But right now, at the very top of that list, he certainly did not like that it knew his name. The words crept from his mouth, low-pitched. “How do you-?”

“Know your name?” the two-dimensional shape beat him to the punch. It was now hovering right in front of Dipper’s face, and wagging its eyebrow at him. It began to circle him, eyeing him up and down. “I know lots of things, Pine Tree!”

Its uncanny voice dropped an octave. “Lots. Of. Things.” For a brief moment its eye bled to black and the iris gleamed ruby red. But then just as suddenly it was as it had been before. Dipper let out a shiver. The being’s tone turned light and mirthful again. “Like your love for magic! Want to see a magic trick?”

It jabbed its two hands into its eye. Dipper cringed in imagined pain. Then, it began to pull from the center, ripping the eyeball apart. A gaping hole emerged along the center line. A hole that grotesquely resembled a mouth. Teeth embedded into weird, fleshy gums appeared as the hole grew wider and wider, now threatening to rip Bill’s entire form apart. 

Dipper couldn’t do anything but watch in horror as the being did what could only be described as eating itself. His stomach flipped, and he thought he would puke.

“There! Consider that a little treat.”

It was anything but. Dipper grimaced. Maybe this was all just a strange dream. A nightmare.

“Hey, kid!” the triangle beckoned for his attention. “Have you ever thought of performing magic yourself?” Its eye narrowed on him, scrutinizing his response. Then it laughed. “Just kidding! I know you have. I’ve seen you try.” 

Dipper scowled and turned away as Bill continued to fill the room with maniacal laughter. 

“Hey!-” Bill tried to voice the words through fits of laughter, “-Wait! Wait, kid. I’ve got good news for you, actually. You have a great potential for magic -- the magical energy spewing from you is one of the strongest I’ve seen from any fleshbag in a millenia!”

Dipper’s eyes flashed. Possibilities filled his vision, and for a moment he forgot all about the strange being, the lack of color, and the unshakable feeling of dread gathering in the back of his mind. 

A smile tugged on his lips as he daydreamt. If he could use magic, he could learn all there was to know about the strange creatures and happenings in Gravity Falls without recklessly putting his life on the line. Between a particularly strong Manotaur and a frightening Gremlobin, he and his sister had already gotten into a few close calls, but they and any other threats would be nothing in the face of a Dipper with magic.

Speaking of his sister… If he had magic, he could finally assert himself. No more forced outings. No more losing at sibling wrestling. He’d always wanted to be the stronger twin, and magic could make that a reality. He hated losing to his sister.

Lastly, he thought of Wendy, the slightly older and beautiful redhead he had fallen for the moment he’d first seen her. Younger than her, physically weak and dorky, and not much to look at, he probably didn’t stand a chance with her as he was now, but if he had magic on his side…

Bill drank in the emotions playing across Dipper’s face with a blank face. 

The unease pooling in the back of Dipper’s mind screamed at him, forcing its way to the forefront of his mind. Something very instinctual told him that this being -- despite looking like a silly triangle with cartoonish arms and legs -- was dangerous. 

His eyes narrowed at the being made of light. “If I’m _spewing with magical energy_ as you put it, then why can’t I do any magic?”

If his sudden suspicion had at all bothered Bill, the triangle did not make it known. Instead, it spoke in an exaggerated manner as though explaining why the grass was green to a child. “Because~” Bill sang out, poking him on the nose, “You’re a human. Humans can’t evoke their magic without a lil’ supernatural help. It’s completely sealed off to you. Think of magical energy as gas and magic as fire. You have plenty of fuel -- enough to sustain a raging inferno, but you need a spark.” 

Dipper followed the metaphor easily, but it left more questions than it answered. Why did humans have magical energy if it was sealed off? Why did he apparently have so much of it? What was the spark he needed? His excitement getting the better of him, he decided to ask the last one.

Upon hearing the question, the triangle turned smug. “That’s where I come in! I can easily provide the spark you need, given a little something to make it worth my time~” 

The tiny hairs on the back of his neck rose. Once again, he felt something or someone screaming _Danger. Stay away_ at him. He tried to speak, but the words caught in the back of his throat. He forced the words out, his teeth grating against each other. “What do you want, Bill?”

The triangle perked up at the use of its name before humming in thought. “Oh, not anything you’d miss! Just hand over one of your teeth, and I’ll call us even.” 

Dipper had been prepared to negotiate. He’d been prepared to walk away if it turned out this was too good to be true. But now it really was too good. His wariness told him that the unearthly being before him would demand a steep price. Indentured servitude, his soul, he didn’t know what but something horrific, maybe a blood sacrifice? But just one measly tooth in exchange for magic… This deal truly sounded too good to be true, and that worried Dipper. 

It also excited Dipper. A tooth was something he was more than willing to give up in this exchange.

But there had to be a catch. He fished for more information. “Why do you want my tooth?”

Bill shrugged. “Have you seen your teeth? They’re deluxe! Oddly-stained, chipped in weird places, oh the things these teeth have seen! Be happy I’m only asking for one -- it’s a bargain, but you could say I’m feeling generous today.” 

The floating shape paused a few inches away from Dipper’s face, its focused gaze boring into his eyes. Dipper flinched, and when he looked back at the eye, it seemed relaxed again. Dipper wondered if he’d imagined the intense glare. 

A thin, black arm stretched out in front of him. “Whaddaya say, kid? Do we have a deal?” The hand caught fire, blue flames dancing along its open palm.

Dipper stared, wide-eyed. Should he do it? Could he? An alarm was blaring in his mind, its sound piercing and loud. 

The teenager took a deep breath, and shoved the warning to the back of his mind.

He reached out and grabbed the outstretched hand. Blue flames lapped at his fingers. He winced, prepared for a burning sensation, but instead a searing cold scorched his skin. The flames traveled to the center of his palm, where a deep chill set in. He felt a million tiny prickling sensations, like needles bunched together, piercing the skin there. 

The hand pulled away from him, and Dipper took back his own. He turned over his hand and looked at his palm where the flames had been. There, newly carved into the center of his palm, was a mark had been seared into his flesh. It was triangular in shape. Within its center, an unblemished circle. It resembled scar tissue. 

Bill watched him silently, studying his reaction. 

After a quiet moment, Dipper spoke up. “So, uh, are you going to magic-out the tooth or something? And how do I do magic?”

How a floating triangle with no mouth could look like it was smirking, Dipper didn’t know, but he was certain that Bill was smirking at him. “Oh, no, Pine Tree. I’m going to need you to yank out that sucker yourself! Chop, chop; or chomp, chomp if you prefer. Ha! As for magic, we’ll get to that after I have your tooth in my possession.” 

Dipper’s face fell, grimacing at the thought. _How am I going to… This is going to hurt._

He walked past the glowing triangle, heading straight for a tool cabinet. Bill watched on in amusement as Dipper scrounged the various drawers until he finally found what he was looking for: a strong clamp with sturdy handles.

He cleaned the tool in the sink, looking at his teeth in the mirror as he did so and trying to decide on which one he’d part with. He decided on a molar in the back.

He grabbed a hand towel, and shoved it in his mouth to deafen his inevitable screams. Then, securing the tool on one of his back molars, he took a deep breath.

And tugged. Hard.

The pain sprouted almost immediately. He screamed in agony as he pulled down with even more force, hoping to get this over with as quickly as possible. His screams were muffled but audible. 

Bill studied the display with great interest, enjoying the human’s suffering. 

Finally, it gave. Dipper felt the tooth pop, and felt the surrounding area with his tongue. Blood poured from the open gap in his gums and soaked the stuffed, soggy towel. 

Dipper held his cheek with one hand. In the other, he held the tooth outstretched for Bill. 

Bill’s outline flickered white in delight as he snatched the tooth from him. It disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Think of this as a complimentary gift,” he said as he plucked a long eyelash from his eye and dropped it in Dipper’s palm. Dipper’s face contorted with disgust, but before he could protest, the eyelash disappeared in the same manner as his tooth. 

“Now then. Magic. Let’s see. Because I like ya, kid, I’ll even throw in a spell. Free of charge! Concentrate on that handsome new mark while saying the word _Ignis_.”

Dipper’s face scrunched up, but he fought back the automatic retort. This was weird. The triangle guy was weird. But it was about to teach him magic, and then he would probably never see it again. He hoped. 

He held his newly marked hand out in front of him, fingers outstretched, and focused on the grotesque triangular scar. He strained the muscles around his eyes, hoping that he was doing this right. “ _Ignis._ ”

Wild red-and-orange flames sprouted from his open palm, fluctuating in height from mere inches to over a foot tall without control.

Dipper screamed, eyes shifting frantically between the base of the flames, their tips, and the unearthly being he had just shaken hands with, who was now looking back at him with a demonic glint in its eyes. 

“You’re even better than I thought you’d be, Pine Tree!” 

Dipper didn’t notice the ominous way Bill spoke, too focused on willing the flames and panic to die down and not consume him. “Isn’t there something you’re forgetting to mention?!”

The triangle exuded mischievousness. “Oh right! I may pop into your dreams from time to time. Nothing to worry about, just a routine checkup to keep your magic flowing!”

“No! Wait what? I mean - _how do I put out the fire?_ ”

The clear mischief dancing in Bill’s eye only grew more pronounced. “Oh, would you look at that. Looks like my generosity’s run out. I think I’ll let you figure that one out for yourself! See ya, kid.”

The triangle disappeared, leaving the space he’d been completely empty. 

Dipper frantically glanced around the attic, looking past the smoke and uncontrollable flames for any remnant of the triangle.

“Bill!” he called out. But nothing answered his frantic cry for help.

He looked back at the flames leaping wildly from his palm. His eyes grew wide in terror again before he forced the feeling down. He controlled his breathing, taking deep, steady breaths, and counting them out into four second intervals. 

He focused on the flames, and imagined them growing fainter. He was astonished when they actually did. The flames died down to a manageable size, their tongues no longer wildly licking the air but calm and serene within his palm. 

He noticed for the first time how they felt. The sensation was warm and pleasant, like his hand was bathing in heated water. 

Dipper blinked his eyes open. His head felt hazy and his eyes dry like he hadn’t slept. He turned in his bed, trying to go back to sleep.

The faint light of morning poured into the attic from the triangular-carved window.

_Triangles. Triangle. Bill Cipher. Magic._

Dipper reeled as he remembered his dream. Or was it?

He gulped, and slowly turned his palm over, hoping that he would see nothing and that it had all been just a weird dream.

The carved triangular mark etched into his hand told him all he needed to know. It looked back at him as if taunting him.

He bolted from his bed and quickly dressed, his fatigue forgotten and thoughts racing. His legs carried him into the forest, where he hoped to be alone. He needed to gather his thoughts... and wanted to test out his new magic.

“ _Ignis._ ”

Much like they had in his dream -- or whatever that had been -- flames once again burst to life within his palm. He willed them to grow tall and they soared over a foot in the air. He willed them into a small ball, and they obeyed, following his wordless commands. 

Excitement overpowered every other emotion. 

_What else can I do?_

A chuckle bubbled up from him at the thought. His lips curled into a tight smile.

_Ha! What can’t I do?_

He might be the only one capable of magic in Gravity Falls. No, the world. He willed the flames to grow as large as they could. Soon, sight of the forest was lost to him, drowned out by a sea of fire. A maniacal laughter bellowed around him. His laughter, he realized.

He froze. The flames immediately ceased, dying to ashes.

_What was that? That didn’t feel like me…_

He shook his head, reprimanding himself. 

_Great, Dipper. Just great. Day one with magic powers, and you already let it go to your head._

He checked around for any signs of damage, and relief washed over him. None of the trees had been harmed in his outburst. 

His sister was dumbfounded later that day when they went into the forest together only for her to witness his hand go up in flames. 

“What?!” she shrieked, her hands knotted in her hair. “Stop, drop, and roll, Dip!” she cried out as she pushed him to the forest floor, manually rolling his body like she was flattening dough with a rolling pin. 

“Quit it, quit it!” he protested. “I’m fine! See?” The flames extinguished. Mabel looked on, dazed. 

He stood back up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. “It turns out I have magic, Mabel. Surprised?”

“Uh, yeah. Surprised and a million other things. Perturbed? And okay, a bit in awe. Since when could you do magic?”

His chest puffed up a smidge. “Since last night.”

She raised her brows at him. “Last night? And what caused it?”

Dipper resummoned a flame and played with it in his hand, watching it grow and shrink and grow again. 

He took a minute to answer, trying to keep his voice even. “Nothing happened, I just tried to summon fire and this happened.” He gestured to his hand. Smugness weaved its way into his words. “Must have always been able to-”

He tumbled down to the ground suddenly, Mabel on top of him, as she tackled him. “Liar! You’re using your liar voice. Tell me what really happened.”

He shot her a glance, but gave up the act. “Fine. But it’s weird. I didn’t think you’d believe me.”

“Why wouldn’t I believe my twin? Now fess up!”

Dipper summarized the strange triangle being and their deal while Mabel listened. 

“That’s awesome! Though _very_ weird. Now you’re as weird as the Gravity Falls monsters we hunt! Maybe I should add you as a new journal entry,” she teased.

The boy rolled his eyes. He started to walk ahead. “Whatever.”

“Hey uhh Dipper - speaking of monsters…”

A loud roar drowned her out.

“Run!” she cried, darting ahead of him. 

The twins ran for their lives. Dipper kept glancing over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of the creature. It was fairly large, about the size of a bear with thick black fur and white stripes. Its eyes were catlike, the irises a glowing yellow and pupils thin slits. 

After gaining a slight lead, Dipper turned around, and quickly focused his energy to his hand. The flames answered his call. He imagined the flames shooting from his hand before willing it. He’d never tried to project the flames before. He prayed.

_God, I hope this works._

An orange ball of fire blasted from his hand, on target for a direct collision course with the monster. It impacted with the beast’s shoulder, and it let out a pained cry, snarling in agony. 

Dipper hit it with another fireball, and watched as the monster caught flames. The smell of burnt flesh burned his nostrils and the beast’s shrill cry pierced his ears. It collapsed on the dirt, still burning. Dipper willed the flames to disappear.

Mabel looked at her brother in a mix of admiration and horror.

The weeks passed as Dipper divided his time between monster hunting with his sister, scourging for books that would teach him new spells, and trying yet failing to impress Wendy. As promised, Bill appeared in his dreams twice, saying very little before disappearing, as though waiting for something. 

He saw triangles in everything and couldn’t get them out of his mind. They were everywhere. 

Monsters swarmed and attacked the mystery twins in the forest constantly. Before his powers, they considered it a lucky day if they found even one magical creature, but now it was common to see seven or more in a single day. For some reason, they were much more hostile now. They’d usually been able to reason their way out of a fight, but now the monsters ignored them as if they couldn’t understand their words. Their eyes all looked the same -- feral and gleaming with a wild, yellow hue. Dipper dealt with them easily with his new powers while Mabel wrote journal entries about them. 

His sister grew more agitating. When he’d wanted to light a squirrel on fire for fun, she’d been violently opposed. When she’d been hit on by Gideon Gleeful, he’d offered to turn him into the frog he was, but she’d been against that too. 

Everyone grew annoying, until he could hardly bear to be around people anymore. He spent more and more time alone, practicing his magic. They were all so dull. This world was dull. People adhered to strict, nonsensical rules just because society told them to, and they were all too scared and small-minded to stray outside the lines. He longed for more.

When he was showing her a new magic spell he’d learn that would make Wendy finally return his feelings for her, his sister flipped.

“What’s gotten into you, Dipper?! This isn’t like you!” Mabel cried out.

He narrowed his eyes at her, irked by her tone. “What do you mean, Mabel? I’ve always loved Wendy.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t have thought to do anything like this! You won’t do this! I won’t let you!” She held her hands staunchly in front of her and stared at him, her eyes brimming with determination.

His eyes flickered dangerously at the challenge. “And you think you can stop me?” With a snap of his fingers, Mabel was now hovering above the ground. She felt the air tighten around her neck.

“Dipper! Stop!” she choked out. “You’re- You’re hurting me! Dipper!”

His lips curled in satisfaction. “No, I’m not hurting you, Mabel. Not yet. This is just a warning.” He willed the hold on her neck to tighten. Summoning a fireball in his palm, he stepped closer.

“ _This_ is hurting you.” Her shirt caught fire.

Mabel screamed. She patted at the flames with her hands as she tried to not lose consciousness. “Dipper! Dipper, please! Is my brother still in there? Dipper, if you can hear me, I love you! Please don’t do this!”

She pleaded and pleaded, hoping her cries wouldn’t fall on deaf ears. Dipper had been… strange lately. She’d brushed it aside, thinking he was going through some phase and needed his space. But now she’d realized she’d been wrong. This was not a phase. This was something else. Something horrific. This wasn’t Dipper. Just who was this standing before her in her brother’s body, saying terrible things and torturing her?

Within Dipper’s mind, a screaming voice pierced through.

_No! Don’t hurt her! Stop! What are you doing?!_

He tuned into the discorporate voice, curious at its origin. 

_We love her. We wouldn’t hurt her! Stop, please!_

As he listened, he realized the voice sounded much like his own. It gained power, and pushed its way to the forefront of his mind.

Dipper gasped for air. “Mabel?” he cried out, his throat dry. He quickly released her, and she fell to the floor.

Mabel was looking up at him, hurt in her eyes. Her throat was bruised and sweater ruined. Luckily, none of the flames had touched her flesh directly, but they had been unbearably hot. “What? Have you come to your senses?” she spat out.

“Oh god, Mabel!” Dipper cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. He fell to his knees. “Mabel, I’ve been trapped in the back of my mind. Something took over me. I’ve had to watch as I tried to do and did horrible things. Thank you so much for stopping me all those other times. I am so, so sorry for what I just did. I know-” He choked back a sob. “-I know that you may never forgive me, and that’s okay, just please know that I am so sorry-”

The girl ran to her baby brother and hugged him tightly. Though they were the same age, born minutes apart, she would always see him as her younger brother and as someone to protect. When she finally spoke, her voice was serious yet soft. “What happened, Dipper? I knew something wasn’t right. I thought I’d lost my brother...”

“I… I don’t know, Mabel. I think it has to do with my magic. I felt myself falling deeper and deeper into the back of my mind whenever I used it.”

“Do you think - do you think it corrupted you? Is that possible?” she asked.

Dipper frowned, his eyebrows furrowing together. He stared at the mark on his hand. “I think that’s our best guess. For now, I’ll try not to use it, and we’ll see what happens. I’m sorry, but I can’t think of anything better. Please, if you can bear to be around me, keep an eye on me, and don’t let me do anything stupid.”

She hugged him tighter. “Always, broski. It’s going to be okay. I forgive you. And I love you.”

Days went by, and everything seemed relatively normal. They kept out of the woods to stay away from monsters, and Dipper seemed to stay in control of himself. His sister checked on him constantly.

“Hello?” she knocked on his forehead, “Is Dipper still in there?”

He swatted her hand away. “Mabel! Quit it, it’s still me. I think our plan’s working.” He sighed, and his face fell slightly. “I should have known it was too good to be true. Still, I couldn’t resist. Even now… I miss being able to use magic.”

Mabel flicked him on the side of the head.

“Ow!”

“That’s what you get. Magic means evil Dipper, and that means no magic!”

He groaned. “I know, I know. I won’t do any more magic. Still...”

She flicked him again. “No still’s!”

He huffed. “Fine. Let’s go eat dinner. I’m hungry.”

“You stopped using magic.”

It was a statement, not a question. Dipper turned around to see Bill hovering near the windowsill. 

“Yeah… I decided magic is probably sealed off from humans for a reason,” he answered, fidgeting awkwardly. A discomforting energy surrounded the being made of pure energy. Dipper didn’t know what to do.

“But don’t worry! You can still keep the tooth,” he rushed to assure Bill. “And I guess this means you don’t need to keep checking up on me, so all’s good?” 

An uneasy silence settled over them. Dipper laughed nervously, hoping to replace the terse mood with something else. Or for Bill to just disappear. There was no reason for him to be here anymore, right?

Bill’s laughter chimed in, joining his own. But Bill’s was unhinged, a chaotic laughter that made Dipper’s stomach do flips.

“No, Pine Tree. No, no, no. All is _not_ good. I unlocked your magic because I want you to use magic. I even gave you some playmates to practice on, and you’re telling me that you’re done?”

Bill’s voice sounded unnaturally calm and in stark contrast with his maniacal laughter. Dipper wanted to freeze up, to run away, but the gears were starting to turn in his head at Bill’s words.

“Playmates…” he repeated, turning the word over in his head. Suddenly, it dawned on him. He could practically feel the lightbulb above his head. “Wait, you turned all those monsters loose on me and my sister? That was you?”

Bill’s eye narrowed in amusement as Dipper finally caught on.

So many monsters had attacked Dipper and his sister since he’d gotten his powers. He’d thought they’d been attracted to his magic, but that hadn’t been the case at all! Bill had been messing with them, sending ravaging beasts after them.

“Bingo!” the triangle answered gleefully. 

Dipper looked on in shock. “But… why?”

“Why? I need you to use your magic, little Pine Tree. Now, are you going to be a good puppet?”

Dipper stared at the triangle as if he was truly seeing it for the first time. This -- thing -- wasn’t human. It wasn’t on Dipper’s side. It had been using him for far more than it’d let on. 

“No! You were after more than just my tooth, weren’t you. That corruption I experience… those violent urges… hurting my sister… that was you!”

“You’re smarter than I thought, kid. But not smart enough. You should have never made a deal with a demon!” Bill cackled. “So you won’t be my mindless puppet anymore?”

Dipper was livid. This demon had done so much to him. He’d nearly killed his sister. He’d nearly trapped himself in the back of his mind. “No! Get out!”

Bill twirled his cane. “Tch. That’s a shame.” He snapped his fingers, and a new figure appeared in the room. She wore bunny-printed pajamas and looked terrified.

“Dipper! Help!” she called out, looking straight at him.

“Mabel!” he cried out. Turning to look back at the demon, he seethed, “Let go of my sister! What did you do to her?”

“Nothing, and if you want it to stay that way, then you’ll call upon magic. Summon something! And don’t even think about trying to fight me or break her free.” The glowing yellow light emanating from his being faded, replaced by a deep, angry crimson. “You don’t want to make me any more angry than I already am, do you?”

Dipper fumed. He didn’t know what to do. His sister was in danger. If he summoned his magic, he’d become corrupted again. But if he didn’t… He didn’t want to know what the demon would do to her. 

“Fine!” he relented. He summoned a small flame. It flickered within his palm. He concentrated on it, trying to keep it as small and manageable as possible so as to keep his sanity.

“More,” Bill demanded.

The flame grew a smidge. Bill sighed. A pitch black hole opened up beneath Mabel’s figure. She screamed even louder than before.

“I don’t think you quite understand your position, Pine Tree. Let me make this clear for you. I want you to expel _all_ of your magic. Right now. Or else Shooting Star gets it.”

The flames roared to life in Dipper’s palm. Dipper cried, wondering how it had come to this as he let the fire grow out of control. His tumultuous emotional state kindled the flames, spurring them to even greater heights. They leapt at the attic’s roof, licking it with forked tongues, grabbing on and burning the wood.

Dipper felt himself fade. He receded further and further from his body, watching the scene before him like he wasn’t there. He watched his hands, both holding the raging inferno that threatened to burn his home. He couldn’t control them anymore, only watch. He could watch his whole body. He saw his face, frenzied yellow eyes looking back at him and a crazy laugh rising from his throat. He was out-of-body, like a specter watching someone else manipulate his body.

“It’s happening!” his body bellowed. “It’s finally happening!” His fingers snapped without his permission, and the scene completely changed. There was no fire. His sister wasn’t there. It was just his body and the still, serene attic.

“I can’t believe you fell for that!” a voice that sounded like his own, yet wasn’t, emerged from his body. “That wasn’t your sister. Ha! You meatsacks are all so stupid and easy to manipulate.” 

His body walked over to the mirror, and began to examine itself. It smacked itself on the cheek hard enough to leave a bruise.

“Woo! It’s been so long since I’ve inhabited a body.” He smacked himself again even harder. “Pain is hilarious!” His body alternated between laughing and yelping in pain.

Dipper didn’t know what to say or do. He was hovering a little off the floor. He stared at his arm, examining the translucent-blue limb. He tried to move to his body, finding movement hard without his legs, but eventually stumbling over to the mirror.

“Umm…” Dipper began.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there!” His body chortled. “Get it? Because you don’t exist! Ha!”

“Bill?...” Dipper spoke in a soft voice, trying to reason with the demon. He’d lost his body apparently, and he didn’t know what else he could lose if he wasn’t careful. He knew now that he had _not_ approached the otherworldly being with enough caution before, having immediately accepted its deal due to the favorable outlined terms. He hadn’t known to be wary of hidden clauses. But he knew now.

“What- What are you going to do with my body, Bill?”

His body laughed. “Oh, don’t you worry about it, Pine Tree! Just take a back seat, kick up your feet, and relax while I pilot this thing! We’re going to be together for a long time!”


End file.
